C. Murray Eaton

Buxton, ME – C. Murray Eaton, 102, a lifelong resident of Buxton, died on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at his home with his family by his bedside. He was the husband of the late Mildred B. (Treadwell) Eaton who died Sept. 1, 2011.

Murray was born in Buxton, ME on November 24, 1910 a son of the late Ernest A. & Blanche C. (Graham) Eaton. He attended local area schools and graduated from Hollis High School. He and Mildred were married on December 4, 1940 and would go on to spend the next 72 years together.

He worked for Central Maine Power for 45 years before retiring. He was a master plumber and a master electrician who repaired TV’s and radio’s from home in his spare time. In the early days Murray and his father engineered and built the first runway at what became The Hollis Airport and he, in fact, flew the first airplane from that runway. He and his father also ran an automobile repair garage out of their home for a time. In fact they built the first Fire Truck Water Tanker for Hollis, which was used for 20 years.  His thirst for knowledge of anything new enabled him to build or repair any “new-fangled” gadget that came along. He never allowed a single soul to repair anything in his house and most of the neighborhood relied on his abilities as well.

Murray was an active member of the Hollis Odd Fellows and was one of the remaining three members before the Hollis chapter closed. For the past five years he has been the holder of the Boston Post Cane as the oldest resident of Buxton. He was an avid outdoorsman who raised mink and rabbits as a young man and spent his whole life hunting and fishing in the great Northern Maine woods. It was there that he handcrafted many fiberglass canoes with the aid of his old friend Boot Levasser. While he loved cooking the fresh fish he caught, he had a special love for clam cakes from Ken’s Place in Pine Point. He could master any size jigsaw puzzle and was a Cribbage wiz, teaching all of his children and grandchildren the nuances of the game. He played his last game a few weeks back……….and won!

He will be remembered as a conservative and quiet man who maintained a simple demeanor throughout his life that won the hearts and respect of all who knew him. To the family he was known as Papa and to the neighborhood kids he was Uncle Murray.

He will be sadly missed by his five daughters Mryna C. Finney and her husband Edward of Freeport, Rita D. Menard of Standish, Cheryl P. Gorham and her husband Robert of Buxton, Mary L. Proctor and her husband David of Casco and Gail M. Eaton of Buxton, and sister in law Gladys Lemire of Biddeford, as well as his seven grandchildren, Tonda, Lisa, Murray, Michael, Andrew, Alicia and Aaron, and five great grandchildren, Joshua, Caidra, Jenna, Nora and Aaron; he is also survived by several nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Doris Smith and Karl Eaton.

One last thing, with all of his talents we can “sleep tight” knowing the stairway to heaven will be kept secure.

A graveside service will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are under the care of Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services, 981 Forest Ave. Portland. Please visit www.advantageportland.com to sign Murray’s guestbook.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to:

American Cancer Society

1 Bowdoin Mill Island

Topsham, ME 04086

{jcomments on}